The Spacecrafter

History

The Spacecrafter was the monthly publication of the Spacecraft Research Association (S.R.A.), a non-profit organisation based in Phoenix, Arizona. The first archived issue (Vol 1 No 6) dates from October 1958, placing the start of publication around May 1958. The newsletter continued through at least August/September 1961, shifting from monthly to bi-monthly and then quarterly issues in its final year as the publication schedule slowed. The S.R.A. maintained a post office box at P.O. Box 4444, Phoenix 30, Arizona.

Franky G. Miller served as founding president and editor, working from 1350 East Mulberry, Phoenix. Joanne Lacy was assistant editor (6850 N. Central, Phoenix). The directory of officers reveals a substantial organisation: Russell Cloud as Vice President, Clair Reed as Recording Secretary, Pat French as Corresponding Secretary, Roy Whaley as Treasurer, Mrs. Roy Freeman, Albert L. Shrout, and Jean B. Timerac as Trustees, Frances Cloud as Chairman, and Orpha Romine as Librarian. By 1961, the leadership had changed: Jack R. Myars took the presidency, William Emery became Vice President, Bernice Garrett served as Corresponding Secretary, Gladys VanDerslice as Treasurer, and E. Victor Curtis as Editor. The organisation's full complement of Phoenix phone numbers (CR, WI, AL, AM, BR exchanges) suggests a membership drawn from across the metropolitan area.

The S.R.A.'s stated purpose was "the investigation of spacecraft, extra-terrestrial phenomena, and other subjects relating to mysticism and the occult sciences; to disseminate pertinent information; to present lecturers; and to encourage public support of projects in connection with these subjects." This dual mandate, combining UFO research with esoteric philosophy, placed the group squarely within the contactee wing of 1950s ufology rather than the scientific-investigative tradition of NICAP or APRO.

The newsletter brought major contactee-era speakers to Phoenix. George Van Tassel lectured on October 3, 1958, speaking about his experiences with space people, the rejuvenation device under construction at Giant Rock, and the impending polar shift. Dr. Frank Stranges appeared in April 1961. Wayne Aho of the New Age Foundation (formerly Washington Saucer Intelligence) also featured. The S.R.A. thus served as a stop on the contactee lecture circuit that connected Giant Rock, Phoenix, and other southwestern centres during this period.

Content reflected the organisation's broad interests. Clara Leland contributed detailed accounts of her "electric charge" experiences in Phoenix, which she connected to contactee encounters reported by Wayne Aho and the Reinhold Schmidt case in Nebraska. David Moore compiled astronomical data (solar system charts, asteroid information). Donald Lockwood of Eagle Mountain, California wrote a series on The Mystery Spot and proposed a review of The Book of Urantia. The S.R.A. also maintained a lending library of books and pamphlets on UFOs, mysticism, and space subjects, managed by the Librarian and available at monthly meetings.

The newsletter's relationship to the Interplanetary Foundation's "Planetary Centre" in Pearsorn (Pearson), Michigan is noted on early mastheads but not explained in the text. This appears to be a loose affiliation with a wider network of contactee-oriented groups operating across the United States during the late 1950s.